jforrest1980 wrote:Need some help picking a "common but good" slot 1 CPU for my Intel SE440BX-2 motherboard. […]
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Need some help picking a "common but good" slot 1 CPU for my Intel SE440BX-2 motherboard.
This will be a windows 98 SE build for late dos, and windows 95/98 gaming. Will be running a Gotek Floppy Drive Emulator, and SD card for the HDD.
Trying to find the sweet spot here for availability, performance, and price. Just something that will get the job done.
I'm thinking Return to Castle Wolfenstein is probably as demanding as I will need for this rig.
Also, I've never installed a slot 1 cpu. Is there anything I need to be aware of when looking at auctions for the CPU and heatsink?
Might need a few good common heat sink suggestions as well.
RTCW is a bit on the demanding side, so I would suggest going with a coppermine (the latest slot 1 pentiums available). It runs well on my Coppermine 800/256/100, which I picked up for under $20 on US ebay a few months back. My best suggestion is to start with what you can find, and keep browsing ebay so you don't overpay.. I picked up a coppermine 650/256/100 with a passive heatsink first for around $10 before I upgraded to the 800 (mine came from an HP oem machine, so it doesn't have the "stock" intel fan, but works great). Above 800 seems to become expensive. You'll easily pay $100 to own a 1ghz 100 bus model.
That said, I would check out this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_P … microprocessors and subscribe on ebay (or wherever) to all of the 100mhz FSB coppermine models.. I would say anything from $10-20 shipped is fair all the way up to the 800/256/100.
Just be aware that the SE440BX-2 will run 100mhz bus CPUs and is not overclockable via the bios, so a 133 bus pentium iii will run significantly slower than it is rated to. So look for an xxx/256/100 chip (256 being the l2 cache - don't be put off by 512kb versions, the memory is slower ((not that they are bad, I'm just trying to get you enough power to play RTCW)) ).
NOTE: NOT MY AUCTION (I didn't check the seller rating either, just using this to show you) -- 600 mhz, 256k l2 cache, 100 bus with a passive heatsink, looks just like my 650E.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SL43E-INTEL-PENTIUM- … pcAAOSwhYdZwt-x
--As for the heatsinks, just make sure you buy one with a heatsink already on it if you're looking to pinch pennies. My 650 mhz coppermine runs fine on a passive heatsink, but get one with a fan on anything faster IMO. There are retention brackets that come with most slot 1 boards but they tend to be for earlier models and cause me headaches with coppermines, so I just remove them and run the CPU without the retention brackets.. not a big deal unless you live on a boat, the cpu will just drop in and work this way. So I suggest leaving the retention brackets on your SE440BX-2 in the box.
Show us what you find and we can help further.
Also, do you have your GPU picked out 😀
Sup. I like computers. Are you a computer?